Multi-function supporting rack

ABSTRACT

A multi-function supporting rack includes a rack unit, a holding unit and a coupling unit. The rack unit has a fastening member at the top end and a hollow housing portion at the bottom end thereof. The holding unit is located on the fastening member to hold an article. The coupling unit has a latch member located in the housing portion and a connection member to couple the latch member and an equipment together. Such a design forms a greater supporting contact area between the latch member and the housing portion to provide an improved supporting effect. Moreover, once the latch member and the connection member are fastened to the equipment, the housing portion is coupled on the latch member. The finished assembly of the invention takes less space and installation is easier.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a supporting rack and particularly to a multi-function supporting rack capable fastening to varying equipment to hold various types of articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional supporting rack aims to hold articles such as notebook computers, photographic devices or the like (not show in the drawing) to enable users to perform photographic or computer operations. Take a notebook computer as an example. It has to be positioned at a desired elevation without being held at a lower elevation such as user's lap to make operation easier. For a photographic device, it must be held steadily without the lens wobbling due to unstable hands of users.

The conventional supporting rack 1 includes two bracing bars 11 pivotally coupled together, a holding dock 12 located at the top end of the upper bracing bar 11, a main supporting member 13 located at the bottom end of the lower bracing bar 11 and an auxiliary supporting bar 14 located on the lower bracing bar 11.

The two bracing bars 11 are coupled through a coupling member 15 to generate swiveling movements relative to each other. The holding dock 12 aims to hold a desired article. The main supporting member 13 has a main body 131 located at the bottom end of the lower bracing bar 11 and two fork legs 132 extended from the main body 131 in a spaced manner. The two fork legs 132 are run through by a shank 161 of a screw 16 with a distal end of the screw 16 fastened to an equipment 21. The screw 16 has a screw head 162 ramming to the two fork legs 132 to anchor the supporting rack 1 on the equipment 21.

By ramming the screw head 162 to the two fork legs 132 a small contact area is formed. The supporting rack 1 is prone to sway. Therefore the auxiliary member 14 is deployed to anchor on another equipment 21 to provide another supporting function in addition to the main supporting member 13 to get a better support effect for the supporting rack 1.

The design of the supporting rack 1 set forth above has to rely two equipment 21 to hold the main supporting member 13 and the auxiliary supporting member 14. It is inconvenient when in use. It requires more supporting elements and takes more space. Assembly and installation also are less efficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function supporting rack that is easier to assemble and install, takes less space and can provide improved supporting effect.

The multi-function supporting rack according to the invention aims to hold an article. It is fastened to an equipment and includes a rack unit, a holding unit and a coupling unit.

The rack unit has a fastening member at a top end and a hollow housing portion at a bottom end. The holding unit is located on the fastening member of the rack unit to hold the article. The coupling unit has a latch member held in the housing portion of the rack unit and a connection member to couple the latch member and the equipment together.

The present invention provides the following functions: through latch member held in the hollow housing portion at the bottom end of the rack unit, a greater contact area is formed between the latch member and the housing portion to provide improved supporting effect; with the latch member and the connection member coupled and fastened to the equipment, the housing portion is coupled on the latch member. Thus after assembly and installation the invention takes less space. Assembly and installation also are easier.

The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional supporting rack.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the invention showing a coupling unit fastened to an equipment.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the invention showing a latch member wedged tightly in a housing portion.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a third embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 2 for a first embodiment of the multi-function supporting rack 3 of the invention. It is fastened to an equipment 42 to hold an article 41. It includes a rack unit 31, a holding unit 32 and a coupling unit 33.

The rack unit 31 has two bracing bars 311 pivotally coupled together, a fastening member 312 located at a top end of the upper bracing bar 311, a hollow housing portion 313 located at a bottom end of the lower bracing bar 311 and two lugs 314 located on the outer surface of the housing portion 313.

While this embodiment shows that the two bracing bars 311 are pivotally coupled together, a single bracing bar 311 may also be adopted, or two bracing bars 311 may be coupled together at a fixed angle.

Each of the bracing bars 311 has a tube 315, a movable rod 316 movable axially in the tube 315, and a clipping member 317 to anchor the movable rod 316 in the tube 315. By means of such a design the length of each bracing bar 311 can be adjusted. The clipping member 317 can change the inner diameter of the tube 315 to tightly clamp the movable rod 316 in the tube 315 for anchoring. The clipping member 317 is known in the art, thus details are omitted.

The fastening member 312 is a screw. The holding unit 32 is screwed on the fastening member 312, and may be selected according to the type of the article 41. Referring to FIG. 2, the article 41 is a notebook computer. The holding unit 32 is a holding dock to hold the notebook computer. If the article 41 is a photographic device, the holding unit 32 is a loading deck to hold the photographic device.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the coupling unit 33 has a latch member 331 held in the housing portion 313, a connection member 332 to couple the latch member 331 with the equipment 42, and an adjustment member 333 running through the two lugs 314 (shown only in FIG. 2). The connection member 332 is a screw.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, during assembly and installation the connection member 332 runs through the latch member 331 with a distal end thereof screwing on the equipment 42; the housing portion 313 is coupled on the latch member 331; the adjustment member 333 runs through the two lugs 314 to adjust the distance between the two lugs 314 and change the inner diameter of the housing portion 313 to tightly clamp the latch member 331. Thereby the latch member 331 is clamped tightly in the housing portion 313 without escaping easily. By screwing of the connection member 332, the latch member 331 and equipment 42 can be coupled together.

By means of the design previously discussed, the latch member 331 and the housing portion 313 form a greater supporting contact area. Compared with the conventional supporting rack 1 in which a small supporting contact area is formed between the screw head 162 and the two fork legs 132 and a smaller supporting effect is ensued, the multi-function supporting rack 3 of the invention can provide an improved supporting effect. Moreover, during assembly and installation of the multi-function supporting rack 3, after the connection member 332 has been screwed through the latch member 331 and the equipment 42, the housing portion 313 is coupled on the latch member 331. Assembly and installation is much easier. Compared with the conventional supporting rack 1 which has to brace the bottom and the perimeter of the bracing bar 11 and result in a greater size, the multi-function supporting rack 3 of the invention is braced merely at the bottom. Hence the product can be formed at a smaller size and takes less space.

Refer to FIG. 5 for a second embodiment of the multi-function supporting rack 3 of the invention. It differs from the first embodiment by having a positioning plate 321 coupled on the fastening member 312, a nut 324 fastening to the fastening member 312 to clamp the positioning plate 321, and a holding member 322 detachably located on the tube 315 of one bracing bar 311. The positioning plate 321 is substantially formed in U-shape. The holding member 322 is elongated and has a holding flute 323. The article 41 is like an easel (shown by broken lines in the drawings) to be held in the holding flute 323 and clipped between the positioning plate 321 and the holding flute 323.

By means of the construction set forth above the multi-function supporting rack 3 can hold the easel without limited to holding the photographic device or notebook computer as depicted in the first embodiment.

Refer to FIG. 6 for a third embodiment of the multi-function supporting rack 3 of the invention. It differs from the first embodiment by having the connection member 332 formed in a C-clamp with a clipping frame 335 fastened to the latch member 331 to hold the equipment 42, and a clamping screw 336 running through the clipping frame 335 to ram the equipment 42. The coupling unit 33 further has a screw 334 screwing the latch member 331 and the clipping frame 335 to couple the latch member 331 and the connection member 332 together.

In this embodiment the latch member 331 and the connection member 332 are screwed together through the screw 334. However, this is not a limitation. The latch member 331 and the connection member 332 may also be formed integrally in one piece.

When this embodiment is in use, the equipment 42 is clipped in the clipping frame 335; the clamping screw 336 is turned to ram against the equipment 42 to anchor the equipment 42 between the clipping frame 335 and the clamping screw 336. Compared with the first embodiment in which a screw hole must be formed on the equipment 42 to fasten the connection member 332, this embodiment can clip the equipment 42 between the clipping frame 335 and the clamping screw 336 without restricting to a fixed screwing like the first embodiment. It provides users another coupling method.

In short, by forming a hollow portion 313 at the bottom end of the rack unit 31 to hold the latch member 331, a greater supporting contact area is formed between them to achieve an improved supporting effect. Moreover, after the latch member 331 and the connection member 332 are coupled and installed on the equipment 42 the housing portion 313 is coupled the latch member 331. Thus the invention does not take much space, and assembly and installation also are much easier. 

1. A multi-function supporting rack fastened to an equipment to hold an article, comprising: a rack unit which has a fastening member at a top end and a hollow housing portion at a bottom end thereof; a holding unit fastened to the rack unit to hold the article; and a coupling unit which has a latch member located in the housing portion and a connection member to couple the latch member and the equipment together.
 2. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 1, wherein the rack unit further has two lugs on an outer surface of the housing portion, the coupling unit further having an adjustment member running through the lugs to adjust the distance between the lugs and change the inner diameter of the housing portion to tightly clamp the latch member.
 3. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 2, wherein the rack unit further has a plurality of bracing bars coupling with one another, the fastening member being located at a top end of a top bracing bar, the housing portion being located at a bottom end of a bottom bracing bar.
 4. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 3, wherein each of the bracing bars has a tube, a movable rod movable axially in the tube and a clipping member to anchor the movable rod in the tube.
 5. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 4, wherein the connection member is a screw which screws through the latch member and has a distal end fastened to the equipment.
 6. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 4, wherein the connection member is a C-clamp and has a clipping frame fastened to the latch member to hold the equipment and a clamping screw running through the clipping frame to ram the equipment.
 7. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 6, wherein the coupling unit further has a screw which screws through the latch member and the clipping frame to couple the latch member and the connection member together.
 8. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 5, wherein the fastening member is a screw and the holding unit is screwed on the fastening member.
 9. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 6, wherein the fastening member is a screw and the holding unit is screwed on the fastening member.
 10. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 7, wherein the fastening member is a screw and the holding unit is screwed on the fastening member.
 11. The multi-function supporting rack of claim 8, wherein the holding unit has a positioning plate coupled on the fastening member, a nut screwing on the fastening member to compress the positioning plate and a holding member detachably located on the tube of one bracing bar, the article being clipped and anchored between the positioning plate and the holding member. 